Ranking the St. Louis Cardinals biggest X-Factors post-trade deadline

ST LOUIS, MO - JUNE 15: Jack Flaherty #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on June 15, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - JUNE 15: Jack Flaherty #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on June 15, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – JULY 27: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JULY 27: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Nolan Gorman

There are three key ingredients to dynamic offenses – getting on base, power, and impact bats on both sides of the plate. Nolan Gorman has quietly become a guy who accomplishes all three takes for St. Louis in the last two weeks.

On the season, Gorman is slashing .238/.313/.450 with 12 HR and 26 RBI, and has gone on some hot streaks and ice cold stretches. Over the last 14 days though, his averages have creeped up to .257/.316/.543 and last 6 games has seen his OPS rise to .922. For a team that lacks power options from the left side of the plate, Gorman plays a critical rose in lineup construction down the stretch for St. Louis.

The 22-year old has the ability to change games with one swing of the bat, and his ability to draw walks has been a pleasant surprise for a rookie slugger. Although he still has not found consistent playing time against left handed pitching, his recent run of success may force the club to keep him in the lineup every day.

Lately, Gorman has found himself in the 2-hole for St. Louis, allowing him to see better pitches as guys like Goldschmidt and Arenado wait behind him. His ability to hit for power or get on base for the guys behind him is a key ingredient for St. Louis to compete with the best teams in baseball.